Caleb

Chapter Three

The truth was it was a lot easier to be mad at him when he wasn't standing right in front of her, smiling down at her with a devastating smile and acting all chivalrous with that sexy southern drawl.

"Caleb right?" she asked, pretending to have forgotten his name.

"Right." he said with a big smile, knowing exactly what she was doing.

"Where are we headed with all this?" he asked.

"Down to my room."

Instead of waiting for her to show him where to go, he led the way, knowing exactly where her room was.

"How do you know where my room is? You guys have only been here a few hours. Do you already have the layout memorized?" she scoffed.

"Don't be ridiculous. I didn't memorize the layout of your house after only being here a few hours." he scoffed along with her, chuckling as he carried the box.

"I memorized the blueprint of the whole compound three days ago." He said with a sly grin.

She let out a laugh at how absurd that sounded, but her laughter faded as she studied his face and realized he was one hundred percent serious.

"Wait you're serious?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Lord, my dad really wasn't lying. You guys are professionals."

"Try to be." he said with another smile that made her cheeks warm.

Reaching Lainey's door at the same time, Caleb shifted the box to one side and grabbed the door knob before Lainey had the chance to reach for it herself. He pushed the door open with his foot then held it open with his back, allowing her to pass through.

Lainey eyed him and tried to smother the smile that his chivalrous gesture had caused.

Oh you are charming aren't you? Disliking you might be harder than I anticipated, but not impossible.

"I'm not helpless you know." she said with her hands on her hips and the corner of her mouth curling ever so slightly.

"Never said you were." Caleb chuckled, setting down the box.

"I'm a full grown adult who can do things for herself - can tie my own shoes and everything," she sassed with her mouth curling even higher, threatening to reveal the smile that she was desperately trying to conceal.

"No shit? Well that definitely wasn't in your file...I guess we oughtta just go home then." Caleb gave her a wide smile.

"You could," she taunted.

"Yeah, you'd like that wouldn't you."

Caleb chuckled to himself as he passed by her toward her bedroom door.

"You know for someone who doesn't like me, you sure are smiling a lot," he said from beside her.

"I'm not smiling." she quickly schooled her expression and crossed her arms over her chest.

"You would be if you weren't fightin' like hell to hide it, but I can see it. It's riiiiiight....there."

Caleb lifted one of his strong hands and used one finger to gently tap the inner corner of her cheek, close to the side of her lips. The brief skin to skin contact caused that hidden smile to emerge full force, spreading across her face and up to her eyes.

"There it is." he said with a wink.

Oh this man is dangerous.

She playfully glared at him, trying but failing to erase the smile he'd put on her face, when she heard her dads voice echoing from down the hallway as he called her name.

"In here," she called back, maintaining eye contact with Caleb.

"Oh good. I'm glad you two are getting to know each other." her father said as he entered the room and saw Caleb standing there.

"Lainey, I've asked that Caleb be charged with your care during the next few weeks leading up to the election. I have hired Caleb and his team with your best interest in mind and I trust that you will listen to and follow his directives."

I'm twenty five years old and this is the equivalent of "listen to the babysitter while I'm gone" speech. How ridiculous. Of course I'd listen to Caleb if he thought I was in danger. I'm not an idiot.

"Got it. What Caleb says goes."

Her sarcasm wasn't lost on her father, but it did cause a grin to form on Caleb's handsome face, which she enjoyed a little more than she should have. 

"I'm serious Lainey."

"So am I, Dad. I think it's ridiculous and excessive...but if it's important to you, I'll play along."

She knew in her heart that all of her fathers actions came from the most pure and loving place. He was terrified that something would happen to her - something horrific, like what happened to her mother - so he was going above and beyond to protect her. It was overkill, but at the end of the day she'd do as he asked.

"What Caleb says goes." she repeated, her voice void of humor and sarcasm as she gave her word to her father to let Caleb protect her, despite disliking the invasion of privacy.

Her father gave her a wide smile before he and Caleb both turned to leave her room.

Caleb lingered at the door once her father had disappeared out of sight.

"Thanks for letting me carry that box for you Elaina."

The statement jarred Lainey briefly as she tried to unpack it. She knew he didn't really enjoy carrying boxes and quickly realized he was acknowledging that she was trying to maintain her independence and thanking her for letting him do something for her. She stared at him for a second or two before giving him a smile that he had earned - truly earned and deserved for being that intuitive and genuine.

"You can call me Lainey."

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A/N - What do you guys think so far? :)